Broccoli Cheddar Soup

So I'm pretty sure everyone knows of Panera Bread's Broccoli Cheddar Soup and if you don't then you really need to try it. Well, its so good that I wanted to recreate this masterful soup in my own kitchen. I was afraid because I hate onions but I didn't want to deviate from the recipe so not to change the taste. And I was scared that it wouldn't come out tasting anything like their soup but to my surprise it tasted fabulous and my husband said it tasted even better! Now I want to make it all the time!

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half and half
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb. fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots julienned
salt and pepper taste
1/4 tsp nutmeg
8 oz grated sharp cheddar

Sautee onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour whisking together over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Add in half and half, constantly stirring and pouring at the same time. Add the chicken stock the same way. Simmer for 20 minutes frequently stirring. Add the broccoli, carrots, and onions. Cook over low heat until vegetables have become tender approximately 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper to your liking (approximately 1 tsp each for appropriate taste). The soup should have thickened by this point. Pour into food processor and puree. Return soup to pot over low heat. Add grated cheese. Stir until well blended. Stir in nutmeg.
Serve with toasted bread.

Enjoy!

Chicken Tajine with Spring Vegetables

Tajine is a special dish named for the pot used to cook it. When you hear of a dish that is a Tajine, you should automatically think of cuisine from the Northern African countries of Morocco, Algeria & Tunisia. My fiancee is originally from Morocco, so I have been learning how to cook tajines. Although, I do not have any genuine Tajine pots, I have been able to make similar Tajine recipes with my American pots and pans. Plus my fiancee says they are just as good as when his mom used to cook for him! :)
Tajines usually consist of meat and or vegetables with a thick, seasoned sauce. Most tajines are served with bread to sop up the sauce. No part of the tajines are discarded.

Ingredients:
Makes 8 servings
1 lemon, halved
6 medium artichokes, stems trimmed to 1/2"
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lb. onions, chopped
8 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 Tbsp grated lemon peel
1 Tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp Hungarian sweet paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
8 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
8 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
8 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
4 lbs skinless boneless chicken thighs
4 cups chicken broth
3 fresh fennel bulbs, trimmed
5 large carrots, peeled, cut 1 inch length

Fill bowl with water, squeeze in lemon juice. Break off enough outer leaves of the artichokes to expose pale green leaves. Trim dark green areas off stem and base. Quarter artichoke lengthwise. Separate out choke, drop into lemon water. Heat 1/4 cup oil in skillet. Add onions and saute 5 minutes. Add next 7 ingredients and 6 Tbsp each of parsley, dill and mint. Saute for additional 3 minutes.
Move ingredients from skillet to large pot. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in skillet. Add 1/3 of chicken and saute 3 minutes per side. Transfer to pot with onion mixture. Repeat with remaining chicken. Add broth to skillet and bring to a boil. Transfer to pot and add fennel and carrots. Drain artichokes and add to pot.
Bring tajine to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer 15 minutes. Transfer chicken and vegetables to large bowl. Boil sauce 10 minutes. Return chicken and vegetables to sauce. Rewarm tajine. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp each parsley, dill, and mint.
Serve with bread!

Make your own French Bread!

I've been trying to come up with all sorts of different ways to save money. With my love of cooking one small way to do this is to make your own bread at home. The cost of a loaf of bread is upwards of $2. By making your own bread you can save because the cost of the ingredients for bread are inexpensive plus you can buy them in bulk and save lots of money. In my household this helps out a lot because we eat bread with most of our meals. Eating fresh baked bread everyday is definitely a lot healthier than the processed breads you buy from the grocery store plus for us cooks it gives up purpose throughout our days!

I was very nervous the first time I made bread because I was unsure of how it would turn out. Although the first loaf turned out good, each loaf got successively better and better. Make sure you follow the recipe as it directs. Do not substitute anything. At first I tried using Pam spray instead of grease. It worked but the grease worked much better and allowed the bread loaves to double in size when they needed to. Each loaf I make has been better than the last and I will continue to make my own bread daily!

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups water
1 packet of instant yeast
2 3/4-3 cups of bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
baking grease
corn meal

Combine water with instant yeast and stir together. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add salt and 1 1/4 cups flour and combine. Add the rest of the flour and knead the dough thoroughly for about 10 minutes. If you need to flour a counter top surface or cutting board and roll dough out combine. Once light and fluffy grease a bowl and flip the dough in the grease a few times. Leave the dough in the bowl and cover it for 1-2 hours until the dough has doubled in size. Flour a cutting board or counter top surface again and roll out dough about 8 inches by 12 inches long. Roll the dough along the longer edge creasing the edges together. Grease baking sheet and sprinkle with corn meal. Place bread roll on baking sheet and cover for 45 minutes to allow bread to increase in size once again. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut three slits evenly into the top of the loaf. Bake for 20-30 minutes unto bread is brown and hardened on the outside.
Bread is best when warm but can be stored in a bread box up to a week.
Enjoy!